Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that Local Planning Authorities have an up-to-date local plan.

The plan-led approach is, and must remain, the cornerstone of our planning system.

To progress toward our ambition of universal local plan coverage, the government has made clear that it will drive local plans to adoption as quickly as possible.

Later this year, we will introduce reforms to accelerate local plan preparation. We will establish a clear 30-month timeline for plans to be prepared and require plans to be kept up-to-date, ensuring a more sustainable pipeline of land for development and supporting the government’s commitments to delivering much-needed homes and infrastructure.

This government has provided in excess of £29 million to local planning authorities this year to support them to get plans in place as soon as possible. In addition, authorities should make the most of other support available through the Local Government Association’s Planning Advisory Service.

This government is committed to taking tough action to ensure local authorities have up-to-date local plans in place. While we hope the need will not arise, we have made clear that we are willing to make full use of available intervention powers – including taking over a local authority’s plan making directly – if local plans are not progressed as required.